She’s known for her bold kaftan designs and her public battle with breast cancer but Camilla Franks says her life found new meaning when she welcomed her daughter Luna.
WATCH BELOW: Designer Camilla Franks describes her battle with cancer
In January 2018, Camilla and her then-fiancé (now husband) JP Jones introduced the world to their newborn.
“Our little Luna Gypsy entered the universe on Sunday afternoon and into our arms. Welcome darling girl, you are so very loved by your mummy and daddy,” she sweetly captioned the first photo.
The new mum, who gave birth at 41, told the Sydney Morning Herald that having her own child gave her an understanding of what her own mother went through when Camilla’s brother Ben died aged 14.
“This little girl is bringing a lot of healing into my life and my connection to my mother is growing stronger because of this little girl. My mum has gone through a big journey. I can’t imagine what she felt [when he died].”
But tragedy struck just months after Luna’s birth when Camilla was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I felt a terror to my core; to my bones. I was helpless. So powerless and scared. All I could think of was Luna. She was three months old and I didn’t know if I was going to live or die. I realised how much I wanted, needed, to live. It frightened me that it might not be an option,” she told You Magazine in 2020.
The fashion designer and new mum underwent chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction and revealed to WHO that when she had to stop breastfeeding Luna she was “weak, angry, scared and lost.”
“I felt as though precious moments and time have been stolen from us. I had a primal yearning to breastfeed for years, so it felt so unfair and cruel. But I’ve come to accept that absolutely nothing, not even a cancer diagnosis, was going to take away our bond and the blessing she signifies. She saved my life!” Camilla revealed in 2020.
When asked about her bond with Luna, Camilla revealed to WHO that Luna brought out something she didn’t know she had within her.
“She has deepened the love between soulmates, brought out a fierce lioness I didn’t know lay within me and been the truest guiding light in moments that seemed impossible to overcome,” she said.
“When the time comes, JP and I will sit her down and fill her in on all we did together to protect our family. I want her to know that strength and softness are equally important, and that they reside within her. I want her to know that we fought for her, and that our love for her is what saw us through the darkest hours.”
Though Camilla and JP tried for a second child and endured five rounds of IVF, in late 2020 Camilla had her Fallopian tubes removed and then in May 2021, her ovaries went as well.
The procedures meant that she effectively forced her body into early menopause and was unable to have more biological children.
“Tonight I’m hugging Luna’s teddy, which she gave me as I left her for surgery. Its my comfort in a sea of sadness and I’m clinging to it like a life raft, breathing in her smell, feeling her presence and warmth. Its little furry body is soaked with a torrent of tears that I can’t seem to stop,” the mum-of-one wrote in a heartbreaking Instagram caption.
“I lie here with a broken heart as I recover from surgery to finally remove my ovaries. The grief and pain is excruciating. I feel as if my chest is going to burst as I mourn the loss of children I can no longer bear.”
Though she admitted she regretted not freezing her eggs, Camilla’s love for Luna has prevailed over her want for more children.
“My doctors said, ‘You fought to live, and we can’t afford to lose you.’ I wanted to carry another baby and have a tribe but I have to accept I will have the one biological child, and I am so blessed to have her,” she told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
2020 was a challenging year for many but the fashion designer admitted that her family were her saving grace.
“I’ve treasured every precious moment with my miraculous mini me Luna Bear and savoured the reunions after separations with my beautiful man, soul mate and best friend JP,” she wrote in December 2020.
Motherhood certainly has changed the Celebrity Apprentice star’s life forever.
“Luna makes me want to be a better person,” Camilla wrote on Instagram.
“When your child enters the world, you take on the sacred role of influencing and shaping them into who they will be. In that moment, and every day since her arrival there has been such an overwhelming and beautiful drive to be the best I can be for her.”
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